Joy Dreaning
Joy Dreaning tells us that, “I’m an Alignment and Empowerment Coach for women who deeply desire to reconnect with their wildness and embrace a slower, more connected lifestyle. While I’m deeply passionate about my work, it’s just one part of what makes me, me!
Beyond work, I’m a Taurus, 4/1 Projector, dog mom and book nerd. I proudly embrace my self-acclaimed weirdness as an aspiring hedge witch and artist of aliveness. I’m slightly introverted, love being in nature, binge historical dramas on Netflix, and sing terribly (but joyfully) at the top of my voice when no one’s around.”
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I grew up as the eldest daughter with four younger brothers. My parents were missionaries when I was a child and we moved around A LOT. I honestly believe this is where my love of travelling and learning new cultures comes from. We settled back in Northern Ireland when I was in my early teens so I would say that’s where I really grew up. It was when I was applying for University around 17/18 years old that I first understood that I wanted something different than everyone else around me. All my friends were applying to go into professions – law, medicine, teaching etc. I just wanted to travel. Hence, why my degree is a BSc (Hons) International Travel and Tourism Management. I had big dreams of working abroad and for a number of years after graduating I was fully following that dream. I was awarded a full scholarship to study Business Administration in Indiana for a year and then accepted a job in Lisbon, Portugal to work in the wine tourism industry before coming back to Ireland and landing a job in one of Ireland’s largest tourist attractions Titanic Nomadic Belfast. At every turn, however, I always had this knowing that there was something more meant for me. So I always had a ‘side-hustle’. Always trying to be super productive and ‘make it’ but I always fell into the same pattern. Jump into the side-hustle full steam, invest money and time that quite frankly I didn’t have, work, work, work, hit a brick wall when it came to marketing and selling specifically, stagnate before finally giving up only to start the process all over again a few weeks or months later. It was exhausting. I knew there had to be more to life than this mundane hamster wheel. In 2019 I was working in a country club in Florida when rumors of Covid started. Around the same time I had a family member with serious health issues so I decided to come back to Ireland. Obviously tourism and hospitality here were slowly shutting down and the work prospects looked bleak so when my husband offered me to work admin in his mechanics business, I took him up on it. I fell right back into the old pattern and immediately started a side hustle upcycling furniture. I loved it and I was freaking good at it but the business side was never going to pay off because I had a passion for creating and the time it took me, honestly no one would pay that for a table! So I started looking for someone to help me with the business side of things and that is how I first ever came across the concept of coaching. From that moment on I’ve been hooked.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!”
This is going to sound incredibly woo-woo and strange to anyone who is more rational thinking. When I was searching for a business coach to help me with my upcycling business, I came across a coaching program by The Clique Academy that combined mindset coaching, energetics and manifestation. Something inside me felt so called to this program but I kept on telling myself ‘when I am financially free I will do it’. With my poor financial situation at the time, only God knows when that would ever happen. Nonetheless, I kept on putting it off but kept tabs on their website and socials. When they advertised a free 5 day workshop, I jumped straight in. As with most workshops at the end they advertised their full program and if you signed up within the week, you got an awesome discount and extra bonuses. I wanted it so bad. I kid you not when I say that it was like someone sitting right beside me said into my ear, ‘take out a loan’. Now remember my credit was terrible. There was no way I should ever have been approved and I remember sitting praying to the Universe; ‘Universe if this is the right next step for me, please approve this loan and I will immediately sign up to The Clique Academy.’ And somehow, the next day, I was approved. I signed up and that was the start of my journey into coaching.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I would love to see women returning to their raw and authentic wildness, coming back into connection with ourselves, with others, with Mother Earth and with Spirit (however that presents for you). I would love us to break free from the deeply held belief that our worth and our value is based on how productive we can be, how much money we can make or how valuable we are in the eyes of men and start believing that we are worthy and valuable simply because we exist. I would love to see women shedding the layers of conditioning from society and following what truly lights them up and gives them joy. Exploring their divinely given gifts and interests instead of always having to chase money, approval and acceptance. I would love for us to stand boldly, unapologetic and shift the very foundations of our society. I honestly believe that when we come together as a collective we can make that change happen.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
This might ruffle some feathers, but I truly believe that women make better leaders than men. And yes, there’s science to back this up. Studies show that women often excel in leadership roles because they tend to adopt a more inclusive and empathetic approach which contribute to higher team morale and productivity.
Research also suggests that when women hold positions of power, they tend to prioritize the collective well-being and are more likely to reinvest their gains into their communities. This creates a ripple effect of positive change and empowerment. In contrast, men might be more inclined to use their power to advance their personal agendas, which doesn’t always translate into broader benefits.
The kind of empathetic and community-focused leadership women often bring to the table is exactly what we need more of in the world. It’s about time we see more women in top leadership roles, not just breaking glass ceilings, but redefining leadership altogether.
What’s the most important thing you have learned in your personal life and professional journey? What is your personal motto in life?
There are so many! Okay top three off the top of my head;
- Take time to enjoy the journey.
- You don’t know what worse luck your bad luck is protecting you from.
- Be in the energy of maybe means maybe yes, not maybe means maybe no.
With your grit and determination, you are making a considerable impact, breaking through, and serving as role models for many budding entrepreneurs. What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
We are a soul in a meat sack floating on a rock in the middle of space for approximately 100 years. Who is going to care or remember if you mess it up? The world needs what you have to offer right now, so go for it. Don’t try to fit in or conform. Be weird. Stand out. Have fun with whatever you are doing. Slow down and enjoy the journey. Make sure when you are sitting in your rocking chair that you have plenty of wild stories to tell. Live and make it happen.